Article support system and fixture



June 23, 1970 0, SALAVA 3,516,552

ARTICLE SUPPORT SYSTEM AND FIXTURE lB Filed Jan. 29. 1968 FIG. 5

Q A INVENTOR 28b I4bF/6 7 OTTO G. SALAVA 260. '4 By Wm, WM,

7 22 I2 WW,

United States Patent 3,516,552 ARTICLE SUPPORT SYSTEM AND FIXTURE Otto G. Salava, Lombard, IlL, assignor to Masonite Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 29, 1968, Ser. No. 701,299 Int. Cl. A47b 96/12 US. Cl. 211-87 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An article support system for mounting on a wall including a perforated board with grooves on its back surface and slots extending between the front surface and the groove, a fixture having a hook adapted to be inserted through a panel slot and being of such dimension as to engage the panel slot with an interference fit between the panel and the wall.

The present invention relates to article support systems and to a fixture for use in such systems. Important objects of the present invention are to provide an improved fixture for use with perforated wall panel and to provide an improved article supporting system.

Systems including perforated panels and article supporting fixtures have found wide use due to their convenience, ease of installation and versatility. A known article supporting system includes a Wall panel or board formed of hardboard or the like and having several holes or perforations extending through the panel. The panel may be installed over an existing wall, in which case the panel is secured in front of the wall surface on furring strips or the like so that a clearance exists between the back of the perforated panel and the wall surface. An article supporting fixture may then be suspended at a desired position on the panel by inserting a hooking portion of the fixture through a selected perforation and into the space behind the panel. Many types, sizes and shapes of such fixtures are available for use with standard perforated panels for supporting a wide variety of articles.

Although known article supporting systems are satisfactory for many uses, they are subject to some disadvantages, one being the instability of known fixtures due to the fact that they fit loosely when mounted on a panel. In some cases fixtures can become dislodged from the panel when the supported article is removed. Although fixtures have been proposed which lock in place on the panel, these have for the most part been complex, expensive, difficult to use, or otherwise unsatisfactory.

Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide an improved article supporting system, and fixture overcoming the above and other disadvantages of known arrangements.

Another object is to provide an improved article supporting fixture for use with perforated panel.

A further object is to provide a novel article supporting system including a perforated panel and a simple, inexpensive fixture capable of being locked or held firmly in place on the panel.

Another object is to provide an improved perforated panel capable of being mounted in either horizontal or vertical orientation of the panel.

Briefly, the above and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved in one embodiment of the invention by the provision of an improved article supporting system including a novel article supporting fixture for use with a perforated panel.

In accordance with one feature of the invention, there is provided a novel arrangement for releasably locking or latching a novel article supporting fixture in place on 3,516,552 Patented June 23, 1970 a perforated panel. Thus there is provided a fixture having an article supporting portion of any desired shape adapted to project from the front of the board when the fixture is in place. The fixture also includes a hooking portion adapted to be inserted through a perforation in the panel and into a space in back of the panel. The fixture is constructed and arranged to have an interference fit with the wall surface behind the panel when inserted into place, this interference providing a desirable locking or latching function serving to hold the fixture in place after it is inserted. In accordance with this feature of the invention, an extremely simple and inexpensive onepiece fixture may be locked in place on the panel.

A more complete understanding of the invention and its objects and advantages may be had from consideration of the following detailed description of certain embodiments of the invention, taken with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a wallmounted perforated panel and fixture embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 and illustrating the fixture partly inserted into the panel;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 4, and accordingly is a view similar to FIG. 3 illustrating the fixture partly inserted into the panel;

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view, on a reduced scale, of the back surface of the perforated panel of FIGS. 1-5',

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vie willustrating part of FIG. 2 on an expanded scale; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a perforated panel illustrating one alternative embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the drawing, there is illustrated an improved article support system constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and designated as a whole by the reference numeral 10. The system 10 includes a novel article supporting fixture 12 supported on a perforated wall panel or board 14 attached to a wall 16. In accordance with one important feature of the invention, the fixture 12 is locked or firmly held in place once it is inserted into position on the panel 14.

Referring now more specifically to the panel 14, the panel may be formed of any desired material, such as a wood fiber hardboard product. The panel may be of any desired thickness, and preferably is of a height and width sufficient to cover a wall area of appreciable extent. For example, the panel may be supplied in sizes ranging from two feet by four feet to four feet by eight feet, or the like. The back surface 14a of the panel may be finished in any desirable manner since after installation of the FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view illustrating part of FIG. 2 panel the back surface is not visible. The front surface 14b of the panel is preferably treated by a printing or other finishing process to provide a decorative wall surface.

Although any known type of perforated panel may be used, the illustrated panel 14 is provided with recesses in the form of grooves 18 in the back surface 14a, and with perforations 20 extending between the front surface 141) and the grooves 18. The provision of the grooves 18 and the perforations 20 allows the panel 14 to be mounted directly against the wall surface 16 and to support fixtures such as the fixture 12 when so mounted. The grooves 18 are formed in the back surface 14a of the panel 14 in any desired manner, as by a machining operation carried out during the manufacturing process by suitable cutting tools. The perforations 20 extending through the panel may be formed by a stamping operation or otherwise.

It should be noted that the perforations 20 in their longest dimension are smaller than the width of the grooves 18. Each groove 18 includes an inner surface 22 substantially parallel to the back surface 14a of the board, and the inner surface is bounded by curved, sloping surfaces 24 (FIGS. 3 and 5) extending between the inner surface 22 and the surface 14a. The surfaces 24 are provided in order to distribute the stress applied to the material of the panel adjacent the edges of the groove when a heavy object is supported on a fixture thereby to prevent damage to the panel. One reason for making the perforations 20 smaller than the grooves 18 is to allow ample room for the curved surfaces 24.

In addition, during the manufacturing operation the grooves 18 and the perforations 20 are conveniently formed by automatic equipment. The working tolerances involved in these processes are such that the positions of the perforations 20 with respect to the grooves 18 cannot be precisely determined. By making the perforations 20 somewhat smaller than the width of the grooves 18, it is assured that the perforations 20 always terminate only at the inner surfaces 22 and never at the back surface 14a of the panel.

Although in the illustrated embodiment of the inverttion grooves 18 are used to define the inner surface 22 spaced inwardly from the back surface 14a of the board, it should be understood that recesses of any other configuration may be used if desired. In addition, a panel having a planar rear surface may be used.

Due to the provision of the grooves 18 and the perforations 20 communicating with the grooves 18, the panel 14 can be supported directly upon a wall 16 and can be used to support fixtures such as the fixture 12 of the present invention. The panel 14 is mounted upon the wall 16 in any suitable manner such as with nails or other fasteners driven through the panel in the regions between the grooves 18. Alternatively, a suitable adhesive can be applied between the back surface 14a of the board and the surface of the wall 16. Since the panel 14 is attached directly to the wall 16, the process of installing the panel on a wall is greatly simplified as compared with known arrangements wherein furring strips or other spacing elements are required and wherein new moldings and trim may be required. In addition, it should be noted that only a relatively small portion of the back surface of the board is relieved to form the grooves 18 or other recesses (FIG. 6). As a result, the board can be supported very firmly and over most of its area directly against the wall 16 to provide a firm support for the board and for articles suspended from fixtures held by the board.

As noted above, the system of the present invention provides a firm and stable mounting for fixtures such as the fixtures 12 and for articles supported thereby. One factor in accomplishing the firm mounting is the use of perforations 20 which are in the shape of narrow, elongated, horizontally disposed slots, although perforations of other shapes could be used. The slot shape has the advantage that if used with a fixture such as the fixture 12 having a cooperating narrow, elongated portion received within the slot, pivoting of the fixture in the plane of the board is prevented or greatly restricted.

Referring to FIG. 8 there is illustrated a panel 14 provided with perforations 20, one of which is shown. The panel 14' may be identical to the panel 14, except for the shape of the perforations. The perforation 20 is in the shape of a cross, and is made up of a pair of slotshaped perforations disposed at right angles to one another. This arrangement has the advantage that the panel 14 can be mounted either with the grooves 18 running vertically or horizontally, and in either case a horizontally disposed slot will be available to receive a fixture.

-In the illustrated embodiments of the invention, (see FIGS. 1 and 6), the panel is provided with a number of the grooves 18 extending in a vertical direction and spaced at regular intervals over the width of the panel. Each groove 18 is provided with a number of perforations 2.0 located at regularly spaced vertical intervals. As a result, the panel includes a matrix arrangement of perforations 20 arranged in horizontal and vertical rows and columns. Thus, when the board is installed fixtures such as the fixture 12 or other fixtures may be suspended from the board at any desired position over the surface of the board.

In accordance with an important feature of the present invention, there is provided the fixture 12 which when I used with a perforated panel provides a releasable locking or latching function for firmly holding the fixture in place and preventing the fixture from becoming dislodged from the panel after it is inserted. In accordance with the invention, this locking or latching arrangement is achieved by an interference fit between the fixture and the surface of the wall to which the panel is mounted.

More specifically, and referring now to the construction of the fixture 12, the fixture comprises a simple and inexpensive integral element which may be stamped and formed from a single piece of sheet metal material. The fixture includes an article supporting portion 26 which may be of any desired configuration and size, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. In the illustrated embodiment, the article supporting portion 26 comprises a so-called straight hook and includes a shank segment 26a adapted to lie against the front surface 14b of the panel when the fixture is installed, together with an angularly extending support arm 26b projecting from the panel. A reinforcing rib 260 may be provided for firmly anchoring the arm 26b.

In order to permit the fixture 12 to be lockingly engaged with and suspended from the panel 14, the fixture includes a hooking portion 28 generally in the shape of an L and including a terminal leg portion 28:: and a transverse foot portion 28b, these being interconnected by a radius bend 280. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the foot portion 28b is connected to the shank segment 26a of the article supporting portion 26 by an abrupt bend 30. However, it should be understood that if an article sup porting portion of a different shape is used the connection to the foot portion 28b may take other forms. For example, an article supporting portion could extend straight out in line with the foot portion 28b.

When it is desired to install the fixture 12 in one of the perforations 20 of the panel 14, the leg portion 28a is first inserted directly into a selected perforation. The fixture is then pivoted downwardly about the perforation 20 in a clockwise direction as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4 until the shank portion 26a engages the panel surface 14b and the leg portion 28a engages the surface 22.

Locking of the fixture 12 in place, as noted above, is achieved due to an interference fit between the fixture 12 and the surface of the wall 16. Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 4 and 5, it can be seen that when the fixture 12 is in an intermediate position partly inserted into place, the end of the leg portion 28a engages the surface of the wall 16. This engagement provides a resistance to movement of the fixture 12 into the fully inserted position illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. As shown in exaggerated fashion in FIGS. 4 and 5, this resistance may be such as to cause the panel 14 to pull away slightly from the fixed wall surface 16. This slight pulling away is easily accommodated Whether the panel is attached with nails or other fasteners or is attached by means of a non-rigid adhesive.

After the resistance to movement of the fixture 12 into position has been overcome and the fixture is fully inserted, the fixture is effectively locked in place. In other words, the fixture cannot be removed from the perforation 20 without again overcoming the resistance to movement of the fixture resulting from the interference fit between the fixture and the wall.

It should be appreciated that the interference fit between the fixture and the wall may be obtained with a wide variety of shapes, sizes and dimensions of the fixture 12 and f the grooves and perforations of the panel 14. Many arrangements other than that illustrated may be used to obtain such an interference fit in accordance with the present invention. In one system constructed in accordance with the invention, the approximate dimensions set forth in the following table were found to produce very satisfactory results. It should be understood that these figures are set forth for purposes of illustration only and are not to be taken as limiting the invention, which is defined in the claims appended to this specification. In the following table (see FIG. 7), the length L is the distance between the tip of the leg portion 28a and the underside of the foot portion 28b. The length L is the distance from the rear surface of the leg portion 28a to the rear surface of the shank portion 26a. The distance R is the inside radius of the bend 28c.

Inches Thickness of panel 14 0.215 Depth of grooves 18 Width of grooves 18 Space between adjacent grooves 18 2 /2 Length of slots 20 /2 Width of fixture 12 Thickness of fixture 12 0.047 L 0.250 L 0.203 R &2

As noted above, the present invention is not dependent upon any particular panel construction, the panel 14 being illustrated only as one example. Another alternative would be to use a conventional panel having a planar rear surface spaced from a wall surface as by furring strips or the like having a width relative to the shape of the fixture such that an interference fit is achieved. In addition, it would be possible to mount such a conventional panel with its flat rear surface directly against a wall surface and to provide a fixture which could be inserted into a perforation in the panel. In this case, the panel would fiex away from the wall surface in the neighborhood of the perforation as the fixture is inserted.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An article support system for use with a wall surface and including:

a panel having a front surface and a second surface disposed at the rear of the panel and adapted to overlie and be spaced from the wall surface when the panel is installed;

at least one perforation extending through the panel from said front surface to said second surface;

and a fixture including a single hooking portion insertable with a pivotal movement through said perforation and into the region behind said second surface;

said hooking portion being constructed and arranged relative to the distance between said second panel surface and the wall so that during said pivotal movement the hooking portion engages the wall with an interference fit.

2. The fixture of claim 1, said fixture comprising a unitary integral element.

3. The fixture of claim 1, said hooking portion comprising an L-shaped structure having a terminal leg portion adapted to engage the wall surface as the fixture is inserted into place.

4. The system of claim 1, said second surface comprising an inner surface defined by a recess in the rear surface of the panel.

5. In an article support system for use with a surface such as a wall surface, and including:

a panel having a front surface and a back surface adapted to be attached against the wall surface; a recess in said back surface defining an inner surface spaced from the wall surface; and a perforation extending between said front surface and said inner surface; the improvement comprising:

a fixture including an article support portion and a hooking portion; said hooking portion including a terminal leg, and including a transverse leg connected between said terminal leg and said article support portion; said terminal leg being insertable into said perforation, and said fixture being rotatable to pivot said terminal leg portion into said recess and against said inner surface; said terminal leg being dimensioned to project slightly from said recess against the wall surface during such pivotal movement to create a restriction to insertion and removal of said fixture. 6. An article support fixture for use with a wall-mounted panel having a front surface, a second surface facing and spaced from the wall and a perforation in the panel extending between said surfaces, said fixture comprising an article support portion adapted to be suspended at said front panel surface when the fixture is mounted, and a single generally L-shaped hooking portion adapted to engage said panel perforation in order to mount the fixture, said hooking portion including a terminal leg portion adapted to engage said second panel surface in generally parallel relation when the fixture is mounted, said hooking portion also including a transverse leg portion between said terminal leg portion and said article support portion and adapted to extend through said panel perforation when the fixture is mounted, said terminal leg portion having a length substantially in excess of the perforation width so that the fixture can only be mounted and removed from the panel perforation with a pivotal movement, and said hooking portion being constructed and arranged relative to the distance between said second panel surface and the wall so that during said pivotal movement the terminal leg portion is adapted to engage the wall with an interference fit.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,048,802 7/ 1936 Mapson 312- 2,769,553 11/1956 Horton 211-87 2,943,835 7/1960 Tierney 248-216 2,952,343 9/1960 Modrey 287-18936 3,191,777 6/1965 Willits 211-87 3,198,342 8/1965 Murray 211-86 3,229,239 1/ 1966 Modrey 248-223 X 3,235,218 2/ 1966 Graham 248-225 3,255,987 6/1966 Gatch 248-223 3,289,992 12/1966 Brooks 248-225 3,306,564 2/ 1967 Nickel 248-225 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,084,577 7/ 1954 France. 1,226,018 7/ 1960 France.

ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner J. F. FOSS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 248-216, 223 

